I recently joined another wet shaving forum in Canada and the majority of those who post seem to be using DE’s. The number and variety of DE’s exhibited there blows me away.

There are so many new DE manufacturers in addition to the well established makers that it makes me wonder why so many tinkerers think they can make the ultimate double edge shaver. How many ways can you tweak the design and produce something unique?

I am also blown away by the price range - from under $50 to a couple of hundred dollars. Are they appealing to vanity or do some of these expensive pieces have features that make them more valuable? I only have a Rockwell (my most expensive), a couple of Merkurs (mid-range) and a cheap Fendrihan I won in a draw so I have no experience with the top of the line models.

Aside from the fact that there are some pretty terrible razors out there, what makes one DE so much better than the others that the maker can charge a premium for it?